In a conventional electrical connector, a housing includes a front end, a rear end and a plurality of terminal receiving passages extending between the front and rear ends. Terminals, such as female contact terminals, are inserted into the rear ends of the passages. Each passage includes a latch that deflects outwardly in the passage to allow the terminal to be inserted into the passage. Once the terminal is fully inserted into the passage, the latch flexes inwardly to lock the terminal into the passage.
Known electrical connectors include terminal position assurance devices (TPA) that mate with the connector housing for movement between a partially engaged position and a fully engaged position. The TPA presents wedges that extend into the plug housing at locations adjacent the terminal passages. When the TPA is at its partially engaged position, the wedges are fully withdrawn from the latches so the latches can flex outwardly sufficiently to permit the terminals to be inserted into the passages. When the TPA is moved to its fully engaged position, the wedges slide into positions underlying the latches, so as to bias the latches inwardly in order to retain the terminals in the passages. In order to prevent overflexing of the latches, the housing typically includes overstress features that limit outward deflection of the latches as the terminals are inserted into the housing and/or during removal of the terminals from the housing. Typically, these overstress features are in the form of separate walls or members formed on the housing at locations adjacent to the latches.
The quest to make electronic devices ever more compact has sparked a related desire to produce compact electrical connectors. Space is at a premium on these electrical connectors. Thus the ability to shrink, eliminate, or increase the efficiency of any component is highly desirable. However, forming the overstress features integrally with the housing increases the overall size of the connector.
A need remains for improved connector assemblies that overcome the problems discussed above. The preferred embodiments of the present invention described below address the above discussed needs and other disadvantages of conventional connector devices that will become readily apparent from the following description, drawings and claims.
According to certain aspects of an embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector assembly includes a housing having a plurality of terminal receiving passages. Each terminal passage has an opening configured to permit an electrical terminal to be inserted into the passage and a deflectable latch for securing the terminal within the passage. A terminal position assurance device (TPA) is matable with the housing for movement between a preset position and a fully engaged position. The TPA defines an overstress features that cooperates with the latches when the TPA is at its preset position to prevent the latches from deflecting beyond a predetermined point as the terminals are inserted into and/or removed from the passages. The overstress features may include wedge members that are insertable into the housing at locations adjacent the latches.
In one embodiment, each wedge member is configured to serve as an overstress feature for two adjacent latches. In this embodiment, the terminal passages are arranged in adjacent pairs. The housing includes a longitudinal gap extending between the terminal latches in a given pair of passages. The wedge member has a portion which mates with the longitudinal gap when the TPA is at its preset position to limit the deflection of the latches as the terminals are inserted into and/or removed from the passages.